INTERMAT 2024: Tackling decarbonisation through innovation

Four days, four main themes, over 120,000 visitors from 130 countries. This is how the Paris International Fair INTERMAT, which took place from 24 to 27 April 2024, could be summed up in one sentence. However, this event offered much more, the biggest attractions being the outdoor Demo Zone and the new concept of the Start-up Village.

Of course, LECTURA could not miss such an event and brings a more detailed report on selected innovations that were presented in Paris.

At the end of the first day we also attended the INTERMAT Innovation awards 2024 ceremony. The winners were announced in 5 categories, as follows:

• Building, Civil Engineering and Concrete Sector (GOLD : Betolar - Geoprime® Hollow-Core Slab)

• Low carbon/Energy transition (Gold : Moog Construction - TerraTech EcoSystem)

• New technologies (Gold : Tenstar Simulation- VTS - Virtual Training Space

• Roads, Materials and Foundations Industries (Gold : BOMAG - EMERGENCY BRAKE ASSIST)

• Earthmoving, demolition and transport (Gold : Dynaset - HRVB Hydraulic Recycling Vacuum Bucket)

The jury also awarded several start-ups with the "Special Prize". The full list of winners and nominees can be found here.

⭐Bobcat
 

The American manufacturer, whose European HQ is based in Dobříš, Czech Republic, brought a variety of new stuff and a wide range of its product portfolio to Paris. Guided by Václav Krátký, Senior Marketing Manager at Bobcat EMEA, we had the opportunity to explore all the products available on site in detail. In total, Bobcat exhibited around 40 models from its product range and other new technologies at INTERMAT.

One of the most interesting machines that visitors had the opportunity to explore was the TL25.60e electric telehandler concept. This all-electric machine is powered by liquid-cooled batteries and offers a load capacity of 2.5 tonnes. It is actually a rebuild of the popular TL25.60 diesel model - delivering the same power and dimensions, but running quietly and emission-free.

In addition, this machine was equipped with another innovative technology being tested, the T-OLED transparent screen. This technology offers a completely unique concept, allowing the operator to see both the information on the monitor and what is happening next to the machine, as the monitor is partially transparent. Note that this technology is still in the development phase and perhaps its functionality or design will change.

The real eye-catcher was another concept machine, this time an autonomous loader with the mysterious name RogueX2. As the number suggests, this is the second version of this machine, the first version having been unveiled in 2023 at the American ConExpo in Las Vegas.

At first sight, RogueX2 impresses with its futuristic design, which is consistent with the first version. But there are many new features: in the first place, the tracks have been replaced by conventional wheels, so now it is a wheel loader concept. The reason is that the 2nd generation uses purely electric drive and therefore seeks to optimise the battery runtime and the machine's traction.

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The RogueX2 has no hydraulics and therefore the entire operation is controlled fully electronically making the loader very quiet and less prone to failure.

As part of this concept, Bobcat is also testing new technologies such as camera and security systems and gathering valuable feedback from visitors and clients for further technological adjustments.

It should be emphasised that at the moment it's just a vision of what the autonomous machines of the future could look like, and series production is not yet on the horizon.

⭐DEVELON
 

The South Korean manufacturer presented a range of new technologies and carbon-neutral solutions at its stand. We were guided through all the new products by Stephane Dieu, European Product Manager of Develon.

The eye-catcher was the demonstration of the new fully autonomous and remotely-controlled machines, known as Concept-X 2.0. In particular, these were the DD100-CX autonomous dozer and the DX225-CX autonomous crawler excavator.

DEVELON is testing a number of technologies on these concepts, such as Automated 3D grading with tiltrotator accessory, advanced E-Stop safety technology or autonomous driving and blade control based on global navigation satellite system (GNSS). All machine-to-operator communication is carried out remotely using 5G technology and drone-based terrain mapping/scanning.

According to Stephane, the entire Concept-X 2.0 is now undergoing extensive testing and performance data is being collected. However, in order to maximise the potential of autonomous machines, Stephane says that all machines on a given construction site need to be solely autonomous.

The combination of autonomous and conventional cabin machines is not so effective yet, which is why autonomous machines are more suitable for repetitive work such as loading, transporting and unloading material.

⭐Liugong
 

The Chinese manufacturer was one of the very few at the expo to reveal its plans and news during an official press conference. During this event, we learned that the company envisions itself as a battery-electric vehicle leader in the near future, which is what the country's policy is also aiming for.

In Paris, Liugong unveiled 4 new electric models (2 excavators and 2 wheel loaders) and announced plans to launch more than 40 other BEV models by 2027.

Among these, excavators and wheel loaders, as well as aerial work platforms, skid steer loaders or motor graders are scheduled to be featured. During the conference, Zeng Guang'an, Chairman & CEO of LiuGong ambitiously stated that the company's goal is nothing less than to become the world leader in BEV technology by 2027.

This strategy also includes the construction of new research centres, customer centres and the expansion of the dealer network within Europe, especially in France, Germany, Italy, Turkey and the UK.

At INTERMAT, Liugong unveiled a pair of new electric excavators, namely the smaller 9027FE and its bigger brother, the 922FE. The 9027FE compact excavator is equipped with a 20kW LFP battery pack, which provides approximately 3-4 hours of runtime depending on conditions. The battery is then fully recharged in 90 minutes using a fast charger station.

The 922FE crawler excavator is one of the medium-sized machines and is equipped with a 430kW battery pack with an operating time of 8-10 hours and a 90-minute recharge time. The electric motor itself offers a power output of 140kW.

Further new equipment included the 820TE and 856HE wheel loaders. The 820TE is a compact loader powered by a 70 kWh battery, which should be able to run the machine for about 10 hours on a single charge and then require 80 minutes to recharge. The 820TE wheel loader is 2.5 metres tall and presented as the optimal choice for agricultural or industrial work.

The 856HE wheel loader is a mid-sized model, which is matched by a much larger battery - in this case a 423 kWh battery pack. It takes 90 minutes to fully charge and is then capable of 10-12 hours of operation. Another interesting feature is the use of 2 independent motors, one to drive the transmission and the other to operate the hydraulic arms and auxiliary.

⭐Cummins
 

At INTERMAT, the representative of the off-highway engine manufacturers primarily promoted its strategy of reducing emissions leading to carbon neutrality. The focus was mainly on the new 15-litre Next Generation X15 diesel engine, which is designed to be compatible with various fuel types such as advanced diesel, natural gas and hydrogen.

The Next Gen X15 engine offers up to 522 kW (700 hp) of power and 3,200 Nm of torque. It is optimised for Stage V emissions standards, and the manufacturer reports a fuel consumption of 180 g/kWh.

Cummins also displayed the new B6.7H engine which uses hydrogen as fuel. This engine offers 290 hp (216 kW) and a maximum torque of 1,200 Nm, optimised for Stage VI/Tier 5. The hydrogen internal combustion engine is designed to use the same transmissions and systems as current diesel engines, reducing complexity for OEMs and their customers who want to begin using hydrogen fuel.

In addition to these 2 large engines, the American engine manufacturer introduced additional new products under its Accelera brand. Particularly, these included a 150kW fuel cell engine, a next-generation BP97E lithium-ion battery for electric vehicles, and the 1CS2016 NextGen engine - a single-winding permanent synchronous magnet direct-drive engine with 97% efficiency.

The US manufacturer also anticipates that in the future there will be a need to respond with flexibility to the demand in the engine market, which should change according to user needs. However, it is already more than evident that demand will be for a variety of fuel types, be it diesel, hydrogen, biofuels or even electric solutions.

⭐CICEE
 

Changsha International Construction Equipment Exhibition (CICEE) held a press conference aimed at promoting the upcoming exhibition in 2025. The event was the European stop of a global promo tour called "Ten Countries, Hundred Cities, Thousand Enterprises, Ten Thousand Miles Tour".

As part of this campaign, we were introduced to the city of Changsha itself, a technology powerhouse that is home to major construction companies such as Zoomlion, SANY and Sunward. Not surprisingly, this is the venue for the 4th edition of the CICEE trade fair from 15 to 18 May 2025, a unique opportunity for European visitors and exhibitors to dialogue with leading Chinese construction equipment manufacturers.

The organisers expect more than 1,800 exhibitors to participate in the upcoming event and the number of visitors could reach the milestone of 300,000. One of the main pillars of the entire fair is innovation and modern technologies such as 5G, autonomy, hydrogen and electric models, around which the entire fair is expected to revolve.

At the end of the presentation, CICEE representatives also signed several strategic partnerships, for example with the Spanish association ANMOPYC or the Chinese giants SANY and Zoomlion.

See you in 3 years
 

The next edition of INTERMAT Paris is scheduled for April 2027, and we are already looking forward to seeing what innovations will be introduced.